U.S. Pat. No. 4,349,977 (Brodribb) issued Sep. 21, 1982 discloses a commercial fishing apparatus for automatically reeling in a hooked fish which uses an arrangement in which a motor drive shaft is connected through a clutch to the reel and is operated on detection of a strike. The apparatus includes the reel and rod and forms an integrals structure which prevents the fisherman from operating the rod and reel in conventional manual manner.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,449,895 (Zabihi) issued Sep. 17, 2002 discloses a fishing apparatus for automatically reeling in a hooked fish which uses a motor in the butt of the fishing rod which is operated on detection of a strike. This mounting of the motor in the rod and the sensor in the lure makes the fishing rod itself complex and difficult to handle as a conventional fishing rod.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,517,760 (Randle) issued Mar. 21, 1985 discloses a mount which can receive a conventional fishing rod and reel and includes a trigger engagable onto the line so that tension in the line operates the trigger to activate a drive system to the reel. The drive system apparently engages frictionally onto the exterior of the reel while the rod and reel are held in a wire support with the risk that the drive will be inefficient. The use of a trigger engaged onto the line will prevent the user from rapidly removing the rod and reel from the holder for conventional use.